Autumn Holds Her Secret
by Unoriginality
Summary: Autumn has come, and Celena has a secret for Van.


had finally come, breaking the heat of summer on a gentle cool breeze. The leaves were an explosion of color around the capital city of Fanelia. Van loved this time of year, when leaved turned to reds and golds, and mornings frosted the windows of the castle.

He noticed late morning that his wife had not come out of their room, while he was outside. Worried that she'd fallen ill again, he left the crisp fall air to go back inside and find out if she was okay.

She was staring out the window when he found her in their room. He frowned in concern. "Celena, you okay?"

She jumped, turning and looking at him. "Hm? Oh, yes, Van, I'm fine. I'm just admiring the trees. I've never seen trees do this. We have evergreens around the Schezar estate."

Van smiled. "Come on, I'll get you a better view than up here. Get your cloak, it's a bit chilly."

Celena stood and grabbed her warm fur cloak, pulling it over her shoulders. Van stepped over to her and secured the front under her neck for her, then grabbed her hand.

She stayed silent while he led her through the castle and back outside. Van wasn't terribly talkative either, both locked in the magic of Autumn. More than once, Celena asked him to slow down, she couldn't keep up with him, and he slowed, offered to carry her, and reserved a sharp retort for his efforts, which only made him laugh.

Finally, they reached the crest of a hill just outside the walls of the city. "Here," he said. "Best view of Fanelia's Autumns. Mom showed me this spot when I was little."

Celena stood spellbound as she swept her gaze across the city, across the forest of bright colors, her breath leaving small clouds of condensation in the air that faded away. Van grinned, watching her face, then joined her in enjoying the sight.

"Oh, Van, this is amazing. I've never seen anything so beautiful."

"I have," Van said.

"That stands to reason," she said, shooting him a look that said how tired he made her sometimes. "You've lived here all your life."

"I was talking about you," he said. "Remember our wedding day, when Merle gave you that flower crown? That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You."

Celena's face lit up. "I love you, Van. You're a flatterer, and it'll get you everywhere with me."

He put an arm around her shoulders, watching some browned leaves fall and join their brothers on the ground. They whispered slowly through the still air, hitting the ground without a sound.

"May I tell you a secret, Van?" Celena spoke up after several minutes of enjoying the view in silence with him.

"Of course, you can tell me anything," he assured her, thinking she'd say something about the dark years trapped by Dilandau. She rarely did, but every now and then she'd tell him something, something that either pissed him off mightily, or made him wish desperately that he'd seen her instead of Dilandau much sooner.

Celena didn't say anything for a few moments, long enough that Van looked over to see a nervous smile on her face. "You have an heir on the way," she finally said, turning her head to meet his gaze.

Confusion dominated his thoughts, then slowly gave way to understanding, and his jaw dropped, then turned into the goofiest grin he thought he'd ever sported. "You're sure? How long have you known?"

She smiled, red-faced in the chill. "A week. The midwife and I weren't entirely sure at first, but we're certain now."

Excited, he grabbed her up and swung her around, causing her to shriek his name and demand to be put down. He laughed, setting her down. "So how much do you think your brother's going to intimidate me for this one?" he asked. "We'll invite him and Millerna and Dryden for the celebration, of course, so he'll definitely be here to promise all sorts of death on me."

Celena blushed, her ears turning red and the color in her cheeks spreading down to her neck. Van knew that blush went lower, and he suddenly wanted to take her home and make love to her for the rest of the day, giddy with happiness and love for her.

"I imagine he'll threaten you a little," she said. "I think he'll spend more time treating me like porcelain though."

"Probably," Van agreed, still smiling like a fool. "Come on, who else have you told?"

"Nobody, this has been between the midwife and I. I wanted you to find out first."

"We'll tell Merle first, she's family," he said, grabbing her hand and forcing himself to not go faster than she could as he led her back to the castle.

She laughed. "I've never seen you so excitable," she said.

"I'm going to be a father!" he almost shouted. "Of course I'm excited!"

They began to run back into the city, and behin them, falling leaves whispered their news to all the trees in Fanelia.


End file.
